Wes Stack

Since 2001, I have worked primarily with clay as my medium, having previously sculpted in wood and steel. Using this medium, I have developed various glazing and firing techniques beginning with the electric kiln, then moving to raku reduction and then to sagger and pit firing. All of the work is first "bisque fired" then further refined by glazing and firing using one or more of these techniques.

The forming and firing processes I incorporate in my work involve a good deal of risk and chance. There is always the possibility for breakage and unforeseen results. However, I pursue these methods precisely because they involve these elements. I believe that these factors are inherent in change. Transformation and growth are two of the goals of my work. Moreover, I fully subscribe to the aesthetic of the photographer, Edward Weston, who saw "the possibilities in the abstract" and found beauty in the basic abstractness of the natural world. I am also conscious of the essential relationships between processes, materials and concepts and try to bring these relationships into balance in a piece of work. For example, the large plates I make often involve gestural elements, which express a free form of painting that complements the random effects produced by the fire.

My work is evolving over time reflecting my need to embrace change. While much of my early work centered on the raku firing process, part of my current work focuses on functionality, color and texture. I think the beauty of art comes from the imperative to "begin again" (and again, and again).